Decoherence
by Ilyich
Summary: This is an alternate ending to the main Steins;Gate story, in five parts. It begins after Okabe's first unsuccessful attempt to save Kurisu on July 28; however, there is no video d-mail after he returns. (This also appears to be the starting point for Steins;Gate 0, but the similarity would end there.) Instead, beta Suzuha will make another journey to alter history.
1. beta attractor, year 2010

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: In this alternate ending, I tried to resolve several narrative arcs in a consistent and logical fashion. (Details about my motivations on my profile page.) Unfortunately not all characters will appear, and there's not really much in the way of romance or action- sorry! I would love to hear what you think!]

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β attractor, year 2010.  
divergence 1.130205%

"If you are hearing this message, then that means my younger self has failed to save Makise Kurisu at Radio Kaikan on July 28, 2010. As I suspected, her death is inevitable on this attractor field. So too are the deaths of billions in World War 3. The only way to save them is to leave this attractor field altogether, and the only known opportunity to create the necessary divergence is on the midnight of the new millennium.

"Suzuha, along with this message you will find a computer virus and detailed instructions on how to upload it to key systems, starting with SERN. You must return to 1999 and make sure the Y2K crash happens on schedule. This is the final phase of Operation Brynhildr, in which Hououin Kyouma unleashes chaos upon the world. This is the choice of… nevermind. The mad scientist is counting on you now.

"Good luck, Suzuha. I'll see you on the other side."


	2. psi attractor, year 2000

ψ attractor, year 2000.  
divergence -1.002278%

A light snow was falling. Snowflakes drifted soundlessly through the still air and found themselves landing in a cemetery in Ikebukuro. In front of a family gravestone, among a fresh array of flowers, a little girl stood silently, unaware of the snow that had gathered in her hair.

The girl's grandmother stepped gently behind her. "Mayuri."

There was no reply.

Mayuri's grandma spoke again, louder this time. "Mayuri, let's go home."

Mayuri still didn't seem to hear.

Grandma sighed and let herself down on a stone bench nearby. She was silent for a moment, then she began speaking to the still air. "Rintaro, don't you think you've kept Mayuri long enough? Why don't we come back another day, when it's not snowing?"

Mayuri looked about, confused, then she turned on her grandma. "He is gone! He's never waking up again! That's what you said!" Tears glistened in Mayuri's eyes. Suddenly, she threw herself at grandma, who held her close.

Mayuri spoke again, choking on her words, "Mayushii… Mayushii made a wish… on a shooting star… why didn't it come true? Why didn't Rinta-kun wake up?"

Mayuri's grandma waited until her sobs had subsided, then released Mayuri and looked into her eyes. "Grandma has something important to say. Would Mayushii listen?"

Mayuri nodded.

Grandma continued, "There's more to this world than we can see. Actually, there are a great many worlds, too many for anyone to count. They are like stars during daytime—we can't see them, but they are there all the same. Okabe Rintaro has gone to one of those worlds. He is out there, somewhere far away."

"Really?" Mayuri looked uncertain.

"Of course. We were fond of Rinta-kun, weren't we? Aren't we thinking of him even now? Somewhere out there, he's woken up from his fever—maybe talking to someone just like Mayushii, this very moment."

"But, I want him to come back to this world," said Mayuri.

"We wouldn't want to keep him all to ourselves, do we? That wouldn't be fair. Now let's wish him well."

With that, grandma stood up and looked toward Okabe's grave, now covered with a layer of soft snow. Mayuri also turned to look, then the two started to walk away. After a few steps, grandma asked, "Hey Mayuri, do you think you can keep Kaichu safe on our way home?"

Mayuri nodded firmly.

Grandma took out an antique pocket watch and placed it in Mayuri's outstretched hands. As the two continued to walk away, Mayuri held Kaichu close to her ear.

Not long afterwards, the figure of a young woman stopped for a moment at the Okabe family grave and left something by the stone monument. It was a small metal pin. Along its rim was engraved "OSHMKUFA 2010".


	3. psi attractor, year 2005

ψ attractor, year 2005.

Akiha Yukitaka rubbed his neck. He was exhausted from the 5-hour board meeting and desperately needed a shower. As he exited the elevator, Kuroki greeted him. "Welcome home, sir. Dinner is ready for you."

Yukitaka gave a weary smile. "Thank you, Kuroki, I'm afraid I'll have to pass. Is my daughter in bed yet?"

"Yes, the young lady is fast asleep," Kuroki replied, "however, she insisted that I remind you about that maid café."

Yukitaka chuckled, "Not that again. I suppose I'll just have to be firm and tell her it isn't possible to open something like May Queen Nyan Nyan, or whatever it is she calls it."

Kuroki looked thoughtful for a moment. "If I may be so bold, sir, I'd like to offer a suggestion."

"Go on."

"A maid café may be a good way to capitalize on the otaku culture growing in Akihabara. Although it's not possible at the moment, an opportunity may arise in the near future. If that happens, you should make May Queen a reality, but on the condition that the young lady works there herself."

Yukitaka furrowed his brow briefly, then a grin spread on his face. "Of course! This is just the sort of experience she needs to prepare for a management role. I can't believe I didn't think of it myself."

"Oh, there is another thing," said Kuroki.

"Yes?"

"Makise Shouichi called. He asked that you get back to him as soon as possible."

"Makise Shouichi? That's a name I haven't heard in a while. Did he say what this is about?"

"No, sir, he wouldn't tell me. However, he said it was urgent, and his sounded distraught."

Yukitaka sighed. Rubbing his neck again, he went to the living room phone and dialed the number Kuroki had written down.

The other end picked up almost right away. "Yukitaka, is that you?"

"Shouichi! It certainly has been a long time. But wait—you wouldn't still be going by that ridiculous name of Nakabachi, would you?" He imagined Shouichi grimacing, then continued, "Haha. Let's see here—this number, could it be you found something interesting in Switzerland?"

Shouichi spoke quickly, "Yes, yes, I'm in Switzerland, near the abandoned SERN collider tunnel. Dammit, this is no time for idle chatter. I… I need your help!"

Sensing something amiss, Yukitaka became serious. "Shouichi, what's wrong? Why are you whispering?"

"I did it. I built a time machine."

"What, by yourself? And with no funding?" Yukitaka asked incredulously.

"No, after SERN disbanded in 2000, I started working with a group of former SERN researchers. And we were able to get certain… sponsors."

Yukitaka suddenly had a sinking feeling. "Who are these sponsors?"

"The scientific community rejected me, Yukitaka! After you abandoned me, I had to find a way to keep going! I never thought… I never thought it'd turn out like this. There's no time to explain! Yesterday armed men showed up at our lab claiming to be our protection, and wouldn't let anyone leave. About an hour ago, they started getting nervous and took up positions outside. I heard gunshots!"

"Shouichi, this is—you're serious, aren't you? Did you call the police?"

"We did, but it's been an hour already."

"What about the time machine? Is it there in your lab? Can you use it?"

"It's here, but it hasn't been recharged after the initial tests. Even if it were, only a few atoms can go through each time."

Yukitaka looked out the living room's panoramic windows at the glittering lights of Akiba, trying to process all that he just heard. He couldn't help feeling that this was all an elaborate joke, but what if it's all true? Could he take that chance?

"Yukitaka, are you still there?"

"Shouichi, listen to me carefully. If you really built a time machine, then you must realize how dangerous it can be. If it falls into the wrong hands, the consequences are unthinkable. That's why… you must destroy it now. Or disable it, so no one can use it. Then you and the other scientists must find a way out of there. Split up so you have a better chance. Try to get to the Japanese consulate in Geneva—I have a friend there who can help. Did you hear everything I said?"

"…Yes, I…"

"Destroy it now, before it's too late. And try to stay alive. I'm on my way." With that, Yukitaka put down the phone and turned to Kuroki, who was waiting nearby. "Get me on the next flight to Geneva."


	4. psi attractor, year 2010

ψ attractor, year 2010.

As Makise Shouichi stepped outside the UN General Assembly building, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd of reporters. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the flashing cameras.

"Dr. Makise, can you comment on the TACT negotiations today?"

"Dr. Makise, is it really possible to protect this world line from incursions?"

"Dr. Makise, does this mean the end of time travel research?"

Lowering his hand, Shouichi put on his best smile for the press. "This is a historic day for all of humanity. With the addition of signatures from France and China, the Temporal Arms Control Treaty now enters into force. Over the past five years, the world has teetered on the brink of nuclear war, but now we look forward to a bright and peaceful future. Of course, as the inventor of the time machine, my leadership was instrumental in making this possible. Despite numerous threats, I've always put humanity's needs before my own safety…"

Just then, a loud siren sounded as a patrol car took off nearby. Shouichi made a gasping sound and spun away from the noise. As he turned, he lost his balance and knocked over a cameraman next to him.

As people helped them up, there was scattered laughter. Someone called out a question, "Is it true that you've been hiding in a cellar for the past five years, even after details of your research became public knowledge?"

Another joined in, "Did you really bring all your own food and water on this trip for fear of poison?"

Still trying to dust off his clothes, Shouichi reddened. He responded loudly, "What kind of question is that? Is this how you treat the inventor of the time machine? I will have no more of this!" Grimacing, he shouldered through the reporters and scrambled down the long ramp to UN Plaza.

At the bottom of the ramp, he paused for breath. It was late afternoon, and the city lights were beginning to turn on. Then something caught his eye. Among the bulky news service vans, there was the striking outline of a 1959 Cadillac de Ville. Standing next to the car was a girl with long auburn hair. The girl waved to him.

Shouichi froze. All at once, a wave of emotions washed over him—joy, longing, guilt. Slowly, he walked towards the daughter he hasn't seen for seven years. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find his voice.

"Papa!" Kurisu cried. She started to move forward, but hesitated when she saw her father turn his face away. "I… I thought you might want a ride."

Collecting himself, Shouichi spoke as evenly as he could, "You didn't need to come all this way. I can walk to the hotel just fine."

"Oh, um, I was in the area so, in that case, maybe we can go somewhere to eat? I wanted a chance to talk to you."

Shouichi glanced at the reporters a little distance away. A few were looking in his direction. "Fine. Let's go."

After they got in the car, Kurisu shifted into gear and pulled out of UN Plaza. As the big car glided down First Avenue, no one spoke inside. Shouichi put a hand on the dashboard and began tapping an unsteady rhythm.

Eventually Kurisu began, "Papa, I thought, that is, I wanted to say…" Her voice trailed off.

Shouichi took a deep breath. Then, without looking at his daughter, he said, "I read your neuroscience paper. It's very good."

Kurisu flushed. "Really? Do you think so? Oh Papa, I've missed you so much."

Shouichi sensed a blur in his vision. When he spoke again, the voice didn't sound like his own. "Kurisu… I've missed you too."


	5. psi attractor, year 2036

ψ attractor, year 2036.

Suzuha picked up the fashion magazine someone left on the console. Apparently it was all about the Shiina Mayuri designs this season. Suzuha winced at the prices. She put down the magazine, got up from the console seat, and stretched her legs.

It was the night shift, and she was the only one in the world line monitoring room. This was a circular room about 10 meters in diameter. Numerous displays covered the curved wall, but most were dark. Some might not even work anymore, Suzuha thought. In an empty part of the wall, there was an old poster which read "Celebrating 20 Years of TACT".

In the center of the room, surrounded by three control consoles, was a huge 3D representation of the ring singularity. Surrounding the bright torus, multicolored field lines weaved and shimmered, showing the space-time distortions. As the view slowly rotated, bright energy traces flickered in and out of existence from the event horizon, each automatically annotated with a temporal signature.

Suzuha stared at the glowing ring for a minute, then sank back into her seat in front of one of the three consoles. She remembered being so excited when she was invited to work part time at the World Line Research Center, but the job turned out to be rather different from what she had imagined. Instead of time travels, or manipulation of world lines, all she did was to babysit one tiny Kerr black hole located underground. Nothing ever happened, except for complex readouts indicating that nothing was happening.

Suzuha spoke to the console in front of her, "FG204, can you put something else on the 3D display?"

A synthetic tenor voice responded crisply, "No. Also, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? I am Titus Augustus Fortunatus, the Guardian of Forever, AI that transcends all sentience, past or present, real or fictional."

"Titus Augustus… that's too hard to say though." Suzuha looked once more at the 3D display. "Don't you think it's a waste, for that thing to show the same picture all the time."

"But it's not the same picture. The ring singularity shows constant fluctuations in our world line. Fortunately, nothing significant enough to affect overall stability."

"Because of convergence effects."

"That's right."

For some reason, Suzuha felt a sense of melancholy. She traced one of her braids with her hand. "I wonder what it's like to live on another world line."

"This is the only world line. All others are merely hypothetical."

Ignoring the AI, Suzuha went on. "I wonder if another me is sitting in a room just like this one, staring at a glowing ring. I wonder if she had the chance to travel to the past. Perhaps, even now, versions of me are struggling against tyranny, or fighting for the survival of humanity. And what of the people in those other world lines, who never existed in this one? No matter how close they may have been to me, they are forgotten. What became of those memories?"

There was silence for a long moment. When FG204 spoke, its voice was distant, as though recalling something to itself—

 _One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever.  
The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose.  
The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit.  
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.  
All things are full of labor; man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  
That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun._

After a brief pause, FG204 continued, "Everything is here, nothing is lost. What we may have forgotten, the universe remembers. A single electron can produce an interference pattern, as though it kept the memories of a wave. Just so, within the fabric of this one world line is contained the potential for infinite world lines. After all, we have looked through the ring singularity, and from this study mapped attractor fields and divergence events. The forgotten people have not vanished, merely hidden from our view. And they will return in time. Be patient, and you will see all your friends again."

When the AI had finished, Suzuha took a deep breath, then she smiled. "Thank you, FG204. I don't know what came over me before, but I do feel better now. You really have an amazing mind."

A sudden laughter echoed through the room. "Fuhahaha! How easily you fall for my psychological manipulations! Now you become my pawn to do with as I will."

Suzuha yawned and leaned back into her chair. "FG204, I'm going to take a quick nap. Keep an eye on things, will you?"

The AI considered a number of witty rejoinders, but by the time it finally decided on one, Suzuha was already fast asleep.

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[Quote is Ecclesiastes 1:4-9, NKJV. Thanks so much for reading! I know I skipped a lot of action and time span in this story, but I didn't trust myself to write it out, and decided to leave it for your imagination. Please write a review, I'd love to hear what you think.]


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